Kachin

An artillery attack against the Kachin Independence Army’s Military Academy, that left at least 23 officer cadets dead and a further 20 injured, was unprovoked and endangers the push for a nationwide peace agreement, a Kachin advocacy organisation has asserted. A statement by the Kachin Alliance, a network of Kachin community organisations based in the United States, condemned the attack…

The Kachin Women’s Association Thailand, a community based human rights organisation, has claimed that the Burma Army and government backed militias are enabling a drug crisis in Kachin State. “Where the Burma Army has seized former Kachin Independence Army territories, it has allowed its allies to expand control over these areas. Overturning KIA anti-drug policies which had limited poppy cultivation,…

Medics working with civilians displaced by fighting in Kachin State are struggling to cope because of a lack of resources – community based organizations warn of a potential health crisis. Information provided to Karen News by the Kachin Women’s Association Thailand, allege that health workers are struggling to cope with the thousands of people displaced by conflict. “Every month we…

The Kachin conflict, now in its third year, has left tens-of-thousand of displaced civilians without adequate access to health care. A community-based-organisation working with the displaced civilians warned in an interview with Karen News that the health situation is worsening. The Kachin Women’s Association Thailand are concerned that the situation for internally displaced civilians has reached a “crisis” point. “We…

In a decision criticized by human rights groups, eight ethnic Chin activists were convicted under Burma’s controversial Peaceful Assembly and Peaceful Procession Act on Wednesday 23 July. The Chin Human Rights Ogranisation said in a statement that the activists were given the choice of going to prison or each paying a fine of 30,000 Kyat, having been convicted of contravening…

A British human rights advocacy group claims the Burma Government has failed to live up to its pledge to end sexual violence, as authorities arrest women leaders protesting against rape. Human rights advocacy group, Burma Campaign UK, has hit out at the Burma Government for making “zero” progress on ending sexual violence, one month on from the government’s decision to…

Authorities in Chin State have arrested eight protesters following peaceful protests condemning the alleged attempted rape of a Chin woman by a Burma Army soldier on June 10. The protests were in response to an alleged attempted rape of a 54-year-old woman by a soldier from Light Infantry Battalion 269 near the town of Razua, Chin State. According to a…

Burma focused international human rights advocacy organisations, youth groups and unions, have marked the third anniversary of the conflict in Kachin State by urging the Burma’s government to commit to peace. The Kachin State conflict, which first erupted, following a Burma Army offensive against the Kachin Independence Organisation (KIO) in June 2011, shattered a 17-year ceasefire and has so far…

Burma Army offensives in Kachin State are undermining the peace process, an ethnic women’s organisation has claimed. The Kachin Women’s Association Thailand (KWAT) expressed concern of the recent escalation in Burma Army attacks in Kachin and Shan States, which had led to “fresh displacement and suffering” of local civilians in a statement released today. “These systematic operations to seize control…

Burma’s military is engaging in systemic torture against civilians in its ongoing war in Kachin State, now in its third year, and committing “war crimes” and “crimes against humanity,” a leading human rights watchdog has claimed in a report released today. The 71-page report entitled, Ending Wartime Torture in Northern Myanmar, by Fortify Rights, documents the torture and abuse of…